Children's home run by Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 1 Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home can provide care and accommodation for up to four children, irrespective of gender, who may require emotional and/or social support. The home is owned and operated by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post for a number of years.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Full Good 14/12/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(b)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 31/05/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 4 (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that staff have the skill and ability to manage young people’s behavioural needs. In addition, ensure agency members of staff receive suitable training to meet the needs of each child. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the deployment of bank or agency members of staff promotes continuity of care. 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46(1)) 31/05/2018

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improvement to be good

The home has recently had an unsettled period. Incidents of anti-social behaviour that have emanated from the home have had a negative impact on the local community. Neighbours have experienced food items and kitchen items being thrown at their properties and, on one occasion, a neighbour experienced significant verbal abuse and intimidation.

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improvement to be good

As a result, the local council issued the home’s manager with an anti-social behaviour warning letter. The manager is working with the community, the police and the council to consider a way forward. The provider is considering the stability of young people’s placements within the home, and whether any alternative accommodation arrangements Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 5 need to be made. The home is not currently functioning in line with its statement of purpose.

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improvement to be good

Some young people make very good progress while living at the home and move on to semi-independence or foster care as per their care plans. These are positive outcomes. A young person said, ‘They keep me safe. They are always talking to me about keeping on the straight and narrow. It’s helped to stabilise me being here.’

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improvement to be good

Experiences are varied, with young people living through some poor day-to-day incidents. However, they also enjoy some positive experiences, such as pursuing their hobbies and making positive relationships with staff. A social worker said, ‘I’m really impressed. They are really proactive in making sure that my young person’s needs are met. The placement can do no more to keep my young person safeguarded and engaged.’

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improvement to be good

Education outcomes and attendance are prioritised. One young person who has been out of employment, education and training for two years is engaging with an educational tutor. Although not all young people attend education regularly, the manager is proactively working with other professionals to consider alternatives. Staff and the manager are perceptive about the reasons why young people may not want to engage in education, for example due to significant emotional trauma. Appropriate plans are put in place to ensure that young people receive the education they are entitled to.

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improvement to be good

Health needs are well met. Young people’s emotional and psychological needs are met through close liaison with the child and adolescent mental health team. The provider’s internal clinical psychologists also provide the staff team with consultation and guidance.

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improvement to be good

Young people confirm that they feel listened to and would know how to make a complaint if need be. Contact with family members or significant people is managed well. The manager uses the advice or expertise of other professionals to consider if contact is in a young person’s best interests, for example if a family member wants to make contact with a young person after a significant length of time.

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improvement to be good

Recent incidents in the community, in the home and in the home’s garden have, at times, put the safety of young people, staff and the community at risk. On occasion, staff have not supervised young people sufficiently. On other occasions, the behaviour of young people has been out of the control of staff.

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improvement to be good

The manager analyses every significant incident and has taken appropriate action to stop it happening again. Risk assessments, which provide guidance for staff, are updated. Debriefs are carried out with the staff team and if staff practice is not to the required standard, the manager takes action to improve it. However, the impact of this is limited, as significant incidents of challenging behaviour continue. Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 6 The manager and staff proactively engage with external agencies who can support young people to change their behaviour, for example the youth offending team and drug and alcohol misuse services. However, the impact of this is still to be seen.

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improvement to be good

Other safeguarding practices are of good quality. In the event of any safeguarding concerns, the manager follows the correct procedures to help ensure the safety of young people. This includes liaison with the local authority’s designated officer for safeguarding. Incidents of young people going missing from care have risen recently. Clear missing-from-home protocols, agreed with the placing authority, are in place, which staff follow appropriately. Staff regularly search for young people and try and maintain telephone contact. The manager has a positive working relationship with the local police and ensures that an independent person conducts a return home interview.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is well-experienced and has managed the home for several years. She and the staff team are ambitious for young people. When a young person’s placement becomes unstable, she works with other professionals to consider alternatives, trying to ensure a positive placement move that is in the best interests of the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A requirement made at the last inspection has been fully addressed. The manager works proactively with external professionals, and will challenge them to ensure that young people’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team is made up of several established employees who have worked at the home for several years, and newer members of staff. However, the quality and consistency of staffing in the home does not always promote good quality of care. Over the last six months, a third member of staff has been required on a daily basis. This could be a member of the core staff team, a bank member of staff or an agency member of staff. The manager tries to retain consistency for young people by using regular and familiar bank and agency members of staff. However, regular agency staff are not always qualified to the appropriate level or trained in how to meet the needs of young people looked after. This can create a weakness in the staff team, and on occasion has contributed to poor behaviour management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home’s location risk assessment does not provide an accurate reflection of the current situation. The impact of anti-social behaviour is not properly assessed in relation to risks to young people and risks to the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision and training opportunities. They report feeling very well supported in their roles, particularly by the manager. Management monitoring of the service provided is of good quality. The manager has good oversight of all aspects of the care and services provided. She uses feedback from the independent visitor and consultation with other professionals to inform and address any issues. Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 7 The home has experienced some instability in recent months, due to the concerning behaviours of some young people. The manager follows appropriate placement matching processes when considering new placements. She understands the need to consider the impact of agreeing new placements. This is in order to reduce the potential for concerning behaviours to increase further.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Horizon Care and Education Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Venture House, Unit 12, Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Catherine Honey: Social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1235654 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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